Nervo - The Other Boys (ft. Jake Shears, Kylie Minogue and Nile Rogers)

What a fantastic surprise this is! We haven't heard from Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears for quite awhile, and to see his name alongside Kylie Minogue on this Nervo track nearly made me jump out of my seat. Then I played the song and realized that it's actually even more brilliantly fun than I'd imagined. What a beat! It makes me wish that Jake and Kylie would record an entire album with Nervo producing. Their synergy is electric, and feels like one of those team-ups that was just always meant to happen. And then Nile Rogers comes in with that guitar at the end and... well, can you tell I'm excited?

Kylie Minogue - Crystallize

"You only have to turn my way"

Supposedly, Kylie Minogue has done a lot of collaboration with Jake Shears and Babydaddy from Scissor Sisters, and I'm so irritated that they can't just get that music out there. Instead of releasing a full collaborative album, the tracks come out in unexpected drips and drops. And, they've all been fantastic so far. Crystallize is the latest. It's a charity single (so, not on the underwhelming new album, then), but it's got a music video and everything so that makes it official. And, honestly, I probably like it more than any of the singles released by Minogue so far this year. Co-written with Babydaddy, it's got that effortless disco sheen that characterizes most of Kylie's SS collaborations. For example, it fits in perfectly with the impossibly brilliant I Believe In You while also sounding a lot like The One (which was not a SS collab). Honestly, I much prefer this timeless, melodic Minogue over the trend-chasing, doin'-what-the-young-ones-are-doin' popstar she sometimes becomes.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Kylie Minogue - Into The Blue

"Tonight I'm running free"

Whenever a new Kylie single is released, I feel a mixture of excitement and hesitation. Excitement, because she's one of the few established divas that's still 100% relevant right now (though I'd like Ms. Janet Jackson to come back and change that). Hesitation, because it's hard to believe that she can still be releasing excellent pop music at this stage in her career. But dang it, my hesitation is always for naught. Seriously, how does she keep up this consistency? All The Lovers, her last single that kicked off an album campaign, was one of her very best. Into The Blue might just be right up there with it. I love the orchestral production and, of course, that enormous chorus. It's mature but still very poppy. Best of all, it is not the sound of Kylie bowing to trends. It fits in very well with her (substantial) discography.

No embedded audio available... Click here to listen to the song.

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy more Kylie here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Pop Blitz 6/13/12

Kylie Minogue - Timebomb
This is the freshest and youngest Kylie's sounded for awhile. I love that this isn't trying to be a big "event" single. It's just an excellent pop song firing on all cylinders. A

Nelly Furtado - Big Hoops (Bigger The Better)
It's been a long time since Furtado's peak of popularity. This tries to recreate that sound, but to lesser effect. There are parts that I like, but the verses grate in a way her voice hasn't before. B-

Katy Perry - Wide Awake
Her gazillionth single from this era. The thing is, though, they've all been pretty good. This lush ballad is the perfect way to conclude an epic run of singles. A-

Kelly Clarkson - Dark Side
I know many will disagree, but I've never been a fan of Clarkson's sulkier singles. This is perfectly serviceable, but it just doesn't stick with me the way her best material does. B-

Rita Ora - R.I.P. (ft. Tinie Tempah)
Is this even a song? I really can't see any reason for this existing. There's no effective hook, no sense of discernible melody, and so many synths that it drowns everything out in a soup of messy production. D+

Usher - Scream
Usher's had a long career, hasn't he? I definitely prefer old 90's Usher and not this new "Ursher" as he annoyingly calls himself. I like that he's "discovered" dance music, but this sounds like everything else out there right now. C

Rudimental - Feel The Love (ft. John Newman)
Could've used slightly more of a vocal hook, but what's there is pretty good. I like the production. It's not overwhelming and the brass is a welcome surprise. I'm not sure I understand why it was #1 in the UK, but it's nice enough. B+

Pop Blitz 6/13/12 Your Choice!

Kyle Minogue - TimebombNelly Furtado - Big Hoops (Bigger The Better)Katy Perry - Wide AwakeKelly Clarkson - Dark SideRita Ora - R.I.P. (ft. Tinie Tempah)Usher - ScreamRudimental - Feel The Love (ft. John Newman)

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Top 50 Singles of 2010: 10-6

10. Darin - Lovekiller



The top ten kicks off with the biggest, cheesiest pop moment of 2010. There is no resisting the overblown goodness of this track. Darin hit it out of the park with this one. The video’s wonderfully over-the-top, too.

9. Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers



The comeback single she’s been searching for for years. It was so magical that it overshadowed everything else on the album. Her biggest late-career highlight.

8. Scissor Sisters - Fire With Fire



A soaring festival anthem that deserved more success than it found. Jake sounds his best on tracks like this. No band does melodic, radio pop better than Scissor Sisters.

7. Mcfly & Taio Cruz - Shine A Light



I never expected that, this late in their career, Mcfly could pull off a pop track like this. It hits you from the first listen and cements itself in your memory. The I Gotta Feeling of 2010.

6. Short Stack - Planets



On first listen, I didn’t think this was anything special. Then I came back to it… and back… and back. And I’m still listening to it constantly months later. Everything came together here.

Top 20 Albums of 2010: 10-9

10. Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite



After a disappointing comeback in 2008, Minogue returned to what she does best: pure, unadulterated dance pop. Even with a few clunkers, the success of this album is that it sounds like an album. The songs fit together as one body of work. Thank producer Stuart Price for that, who has no less that three albums in my countdown this year. Kylie hasn’t felt this alive or relevant for years now. Who else, at this stage in their career, is capable of making an album this good? It’s a pretty big achievement.

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9. Hurts - Happiness



One of my most conflicted inclusions on this countdown. Last year, if I were to have strung all of Daggers’ demo recordings into one album, the band would have easily had the album of 2009. Of course, Daggers are no more and in their place are Hurts. And while this is a solid release, it’s obviously not my album of the year. It’s a case of knowing that they can do better. I mean, I’ve heard it myself. That being said, judged by any other standard this is easily one of the year’s highlights. Theo’s moody vocals are intact and they even threw a couple of the (lesser) Daggers songs onto the album for good measure. I am eagerly waiting to see what evolves from them next.

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Track-by-Track: Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite

In some ways, Kylie Minogue has had the quintessential pop career. She's gone from cheesy pop to indie artiness and back again. Aphrodite winks knowingly at her 80's past while at the same time moving things forward. It's very much the "carefree pop album" we've been promised. It's not perfect, but there are certainly glimpses of pop perfection throughout.

1. All The Lovers - The best-possible Kylie comeback single I could've hoped for. It's exactly the type of music I love from her. Shimmering and otherworldly, this is pure euphoria. Gorgeous. 10/10

2. Get Outta My Way - An obvious second single, and more uptempo and commercial than the opening track. Still, the melody is one of the strongest on the album (especially the chorus) and the production is suitably huge. 10/10

3. Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) - Another highly commercial dance track, but not quite as strong as the last one. The chorus is catchy, for sure, but lacks the staying power of the last two tracks. Still, it sounds great played loud. 9/10

4. Closer - I didn't love this on first listen, but it's grown on me immensely. It's an odd little powder keg of a song, more a sonic vignette than a proper pop track. The hypnotic production is quite something. There's a great tension throughout. 9/10

5. Everything Is Beautiful - About as pop as pop gets, this is all about the melody -- and it's a good one. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a (very successful) single. It's got that polished sound to it. 9/10

6. Aphrodite - Completely different than anything else on the album, this hard, 90's-influenced dance track is pretty spectacular. The hook alone packs more of a punch than any of the other tracks. I can't help but think that this is the comeback single she should have released several years ago. 10/10

7. Illusion - One of the weaker tracks. The best part of it is the catchy synth hook that plays at the beginning and repeats throughout. The rest of it is pleasant, but slightly forgettable. 8/10

8. Better Than Today - A midtempo, new-wavey stomper that relies on a strong melody and a huge 80's influence. It's one of the best songs on the album and would make a terrific single choice. 10/10

9. Too Much - The last perfect song on here, it's a synth-heavy, aggressive track with shades of Calvin Harris (who worked on this) and several different melodies throughout. The chorus is slightly bonkers, but in the best way possible. Probably the most current-sounding song on here. 10/10

10. Cupid Boy - A hypnotic, high-pitched electro track. It's pretty throughout, but gets a little lost in the shuffle. I love how the chorus builds into a wall of synths, though. 8/10

11. Looking For An Angel - Opens with a string section, which carries on throughout the track. It's a very wistful, lush sound with vocals that hearken back to some of Minogue's 90's work. It's another song I didn't like so much at first, but I've really come around to. 9/10

12. Can't Beat This Feeling - Old-school, cheesy dancepop. It's certainly a reminder of where she started, though compared to the rest of the album it's slightly underwhelming as a closing track. I like the retro synths, but it's all a bit frantic. 7/10

Album Grade: 9.1/10

Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite

"Can you feel me in stereo?"

As a prelude to my track-by-track review of Kylie's new album tomorrow, I'm going to highlight one of my favorite songs from Aphrodite. It just so happens to be the title track, a self-power anthem with one hell of a chest-beating chorus. It was my instant favorite when I first heard the album megamix, and really sounds like nothing else on Aphrodite. I wanna be able to say I know exactly what works here, but it's really everything combined that makes this a standout. The production is flawless -- a true Stuart Price masterpiece. From the staccato, Rhythm Nation-esque drums to the layers of synth that bubble up unexpectedly throughout, the instrumental would be impressive on its own. Add to that a melody to die for and an aggressive, playful vocal from Minogue, and you've got one of 2010's best pop songs. It's always a letdown when it ends.

Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Scissor Sisters & Kylie Minogue - Any Which Way (Live at Glastonbury)

I'm not the only blogger posting this, but I thought it merited a mention anyway, as it's really a slice of pop heaven. I can't imagine any other two artists complementing each other as well as these guys do. They truly put on a show, elevating the song in the process. It always amazes me -- even after all of these years -- what a dynamic live performer Kylie is.

Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers

"All the lovers that have gone before, they don't compare to you"

We're really getting spoiled lately with all of these fantastic comebacks. Add Kylie to that list, because All The Lovers absolutely lives up to the hype. I was very disappointed by her last album (and lead single), but this feels like a brand new era. She's releasing exactly the type of music I hoped she would. All The Lovers, with its shimmery, otherworldly synths, hearkens back to her last great single (and one of my favorite Kylie tracks ever), 2004's I Believe In You. I can't think of any artist that can make this type of bittersweet disco melodrama as convincing as Kylie can. She feels completely plugged in this time around, treating the song as a theatrical, life-or-death paean to true love. If comparing the two (which is inevitable) I think I'll always prefer her to Madonna. The fact that she can bust out a single this epic this late in her career is actually pretty astounding (especially considering Madonna's recent output). If the album follows suit, we're in for a massive Minogue resurgence.

Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.